Recruiting Seasonal Hires

August 12, 2014 4:44 pmPublished by Will Thomson

Summer is coming to an end and before you know it autumn will be here. While each industry is a little different, many companies are looking at their seasonal hiring needs. Retail organizations tend to ramp up towards the holidays. Call centers may hire additional staff for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter. And manufacturers may need to add personnel as big orders come in.

But finding seasonal hires is difficult. While companies may find permanent staff from seasonal employees, the majority of these hires have an expiration date. There aren’t any benefits involved and they usually wear a “temporary employee” badge. Trouble comes from the sheer number of people a company has to hire. It’s a recruiter’s job to find the most reliable candidates that will help the company reach its goals. But the question is where to find them and how to ensure they’ll be a good fit for the hiring organization.

When the United States was in a recession, seasonal hires were easier to find. People were happy to have a job, any job. But as the economy improves, candidates are becoming increasingly selective and the number of individuals considering these types of jobs has decreased.

Referrals are the most effective way to find seasonal hires. It’s not uncommon for existing employees to recommend a relative or a close friend. And these candidates are much more likely to succeed than those sourced from other means. Why? They don’t want to disappoint the person who referred them.

Companies can also use social media to help their employees get the word out about their open jobs. By asking employees to share employment content with their connections, they help you be twice as likely to find a good seasonal hire as by talking to a random person who applied for the role.

While I wouldn’t recommend Craigslist for most hires, it can work well for finding seasonal workers. You’ll probably have to kiss a lot of frogs, but people still respond to Craigslist for lower level roles.

Well Worth the Effort

While hiring seasonal employees is difficult, it’s still essential in today’s workplace and it’s definitely here to stay. To be successful, you need to develop your strategy for finding seasonal hires through the year. Remember to start early, continually build relationships and concentrate on getting referrals.